


PROPERTY OF W.I.C.K.E.D, Subject A5, "The Glue"

by Leo_is_alive



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Fluff, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Jealousy, M/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-03-29 11:00:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19018558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leo_is_alive/pseuds/Leo_is_alive
Summary: Newt has just been dropped into the Glade and instantly becomes close with Alby. He supports him through his depression and many hard times. Just as Newt starts settling into his life in the Glade, Thomas arrives in the maze and Newt starts to feel things for him that he's only ever had hints of before. He knows that he recognizes him but doesn't know where from. He trusts this boy with his life and the lives of all the Gladers but will he ever admit his feelings for him? Will Thomas feel the same way? (This klunk gets angsty btw)





	1. Hellevator

It felt like I had been rising for hours and I felt motion sick. Bile rose in my throat and I struggled to keep it down, swallowing over and over as I sat in the far corner of the cage and clutched my legs to my chest. I had lost count of how many minutes I had been moving for, the clattering of metal on metal and the lights flashing making my head spin and my stomach churn. Suddenly, I couldn’t hold it any longer. I turned and vomited, a watery but white liquid pouring from my throat. I had no recollection of my name, or my parents or why I was in this box, constantly moving upwards. Constantly getting higher and higher, closer and closer. Closer to what? How much longer until I reached the end? What if there was no end? 

My mind reeled and I pushed the thoughts to the back of my brain. I had to just hold on. There  _ had _ to be an ending or something, anything. Right? Minutes turned to hours. I wondered if I would be driven insane and eventually die all alone in this cold, dark, rattling cage. 

_ When will it end _ ? I thought, gripping my ears with my hands, desperately trying to give my skull a break from the endless screeching and banging. Then there were sirens that rang out in like mad laughter. Like they were mocking me, telling me how weak and pathetic I looked.

Then, as though it had never happened, everything stopped. It was silent but I could still hear the clanging knocking about in my head. The lights still flashed but now the commotion had ceased and I was left feeling even more alone, my pounding heart being the loudest noise.

“H-Hello?!” My voice rang out like a broken alarm, cracking and scraping the back of my throat as if I hadn’t used it for years. Tears threatened to spill as the claustrophobia kicked in, making the walls seem to be closing in on me, crushing the air from my lungs and I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head and trying to reach out and grasp a happy memory that could help me breathe. I remembered having someone who would calm me down but I didn’t remember who they were or how they did it. It was like knowing to blink as a child; you don’t know who put the thought there but you knew it was necessary and real.

I opened my eyes, hoping that this was all just a nightmare. No. I was still trapped in a cage, with no food or water or memories of anything. Still alone. This reminded me of my fears that I had managed to squash and I stood up, grabbing the top of the cage and shaking it, tears dripping from my chin.

“Please! Somebody, I’m down here!” I called, although I didn’t quite know whether I was down or up. Whether I had been rising from underground or from the ground. The only thing I knew was that I was trapped.

My body shook as I sat back down, feeling empty and hopeless. Exhaustion clutched me like a taut rope and I leaned against a wooden crate on a wall behind me. I curled up as small as I could be, hoping this would warm me up. Finally, I scrunched up my eyes and thought of home. Or, what I thought might be home. I didn’t know what to think of. When somebody asks you to think of home, you usually think of your house or your family and friends. Your mind would dart to a city or a person or thought or memory that made you feel comfortable and warm and safe. Although I searched every inch inside of my head, I found nothing. I only found empty shells of what would hold my home and how it felt to be with my mum or dad. And so, with puffy eyes and a small, shuddering body, I fell asleep.

* * *

 

I had no idea how long I was out for but I woke when I heard a loud crash then voices mumbling things and I didn’t know how but I could tell they were talking about me. I listened in and caught a few words like “Greenie” and “look how skinny he is”. My eyelids fluttered open and I groaned in pain as a bright light shone mercilessly into my eyes, burning my eye sockets. I tried to move but my body ached all over and it took me a moment to sit upright and wiggle my hands and toes to get the blood back into them. I blinked furiously at the light above me and saw three heads peering down at me. My first instinct was to get up and hide but I could barely lift my legs and it was obvious I had sat on them funny. 

A few more clatters and then one of the heads was right in front of me, in the cage. Once my eyes had focused, I noticed that the head was connected to a body. A boy. He looked, or rather seemed, to be around my age- I guessed- and he wasn’t tall but had a big, muscular body which seemed to be making up for it. His skin was dark and he had short hair on his head and none on his face and his eyes were brown and soft. _Trustworthy_. 

“Hi there.” The boy spoke, holding his hand out. His voice was deep and powerful, but kind and I couldn’t help but trust him. “My name’s Alby. Come, I’ll get you out of here.” Alby said, gesturing around us. It didn’t take me long to realize that I did need to get out of the box and even relished in the thought of finally being able to stretch my legs. I reached up and grabbed his hand, which was soft and warm in mine. Alby seemed to be able to pull me fully to my feet with ease and I noticed that I was at least a few inches taller than him, but definitely not stronger. More hands reached down from around us, searching for me and finally grabbing my arms and heaving me out onto the grass. 

I felt winded as I collapsed onto the floor, only being able to see where I was when my eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light. Curiosity forced my to scrabble to my feet and look around, avoiding the searing pain all over my body. Looking around, I noticed that I was in what seemed to be a huge field the size of at least twelve football pitches, surrounded by walls on all sides. Walls that grew taller and taller and seemed unshiftable. In each of these walls, there were gaps that opened off into great hallways of moss and darkness that I couldn’t quite see all the way through. On one side there was a huge mass of trees with a lake running just to the outside of it and stretched for quite a while until it was cut off by more grass. 

My heart pounded louder and louder. Where was I? Why was I there? Where was my family, my home? Who was I? I felt the colour drain from my face and I turned to face Alby and the others. There were at least five of them, including Alby, and they were all staring at me, some in wonder and curiosity and others in disappointment and boredom. They were also all boys.

They must have seen the scared, lost look on my face because one of them put his hands up as if he were calming an animal and began stepping carefully towards me. He had a strong jaw and short, dirty blond hair. His eyes were a deep blue colour and I would have thought he was quite handsome, had the situation been less tense.

“It’s okay, calm down. We’re not gonna hurt ya. Just let us explain.” The handsome boy stepped closer to me but my nerves made me jittery and I moved away, feeling my adrenaline pump through my system. I needed to get away. I could feel my lungs contract and felt as though I couldn’t breathe.

Something inside me screamed to run. To sprint past those walls and follow my gut into whatever lay beyond this place. To try and find home. So, that’s exactly what I did.

At first, it was only a light jog but as the aching in my body began to calm down, I ran faster and faster, heading straight towards the gaping holes. The large, grey walls seemed to grow in height as I neared them and this only made my heart race faster. I needed to leave.

I heard the distant shouts and calls of the boys and could recognize Alby’s in there. I didn’t know what they were saying but I didn’t want to know. I wanted to go home. Then I reached the exit and didn’t stop, pushing forwards into the unknown. 

The first thing I noticed was the drastic change in temperature that reminded me of how it felt inside the cold cage that took me to this place. It was like somebody had turned the sun out. Then I spotted the hanging vines that made the hallways seem like a forest of tall, grey trees that never bloomed and never produced food. My lungs felt like they were about to explode but still, I sprinted, noting how many turns there were and they sparked a memory in my brain that I couldn’t quite comprehend, but recognized so well. I chose one of the turns and took it, meeting yet another hallway that nearly looked identical to the last one. My legs had begun to ache again and a part of me wanted to go back and find out where I was. Once I had reached the end of that hallway, I slowed to a jog, then to a walk, till I stopped and leaned against the wall in front of me. I slammed my hands against it, trying to force it away and let me go home. I felt the stinging behind my eyes, nearly making me cry again but I held it in, not wanting to break down and forget where I was. 

There were footsteps behind me and I turned to see Alby looking down the hall. He neared me slowly and I felt the urge to run again but decided against it. Right now I just wanted to talk to someone.

“Hey, Greenie,” Alby said, leaning against the wall next to me. Somehow his presence comforted me and reminded me of that word: home. Just slightly. “Sorry if we scared you. George was only trying to calm you down but, if I’m being honest, he scared me the first time too.” He joked, a grin spreading on his face, revealing dazzlingly bright teeth. I couldn’t help but smile back.

“Where am I?” My voice was shaky from the adrenaline that was only now dying down and leaving my body with each deep breath I dragged from my lungs.

Alby took a deep breath in. He seemed to have to think for a moment before explaining. “The place we live in is something that the boys and I call the Glade, which makes us the Gladers. Including you, now. What we’re in right now is the Maze.” That word clicked inside me and I realized that’s what it reminded me of. Alby continued, “It looks kinda harmless right now but at night it gets real crazy, so you might wanna come back to the Glade before those doors close.”   
_ Doors? I didn’t see any doors.  _ It felt unreal. There were no doors. Unless he meant...no. That wouldn’t make any sense. I shook it off.   
“Come. We’ll fix you up somethin’ real nice, okay?” He said, gesturing for me to follow. I liked Alby. He made me feel calm and like I wasn’t completely alone in the Glade, or whatever they called it. Subconsciously I had decided to go after him and we strolled calmly back towards the massive fields. It was only now, as I had settled, that I realized how beautiful the Glade truly was. The sun glinted off the bright blue lake and there were little pens that seemed to hold a few chickens and goats inside. Off to the left, there was a shack that was two stories high and built messily. I guessed that that was where they slept.   
I knew that, if I were to stay here for the rest of my life, I would need to warm up to the people and the place. 

That thought made something erupt in the pit of my stomach and I felt the pressure building up in my head. The rest of my life.   
At least I had Alby.


	2. Coward's Way Out (A Year Later)

Everything was normal that day.

The sun rose at its usual time, casting rays of golden warmth across the entirety of the Glade, bathing the sleepy Gladers in gentle light. A view that, normally, I would have thought to be most beautiful and a luxury in this sadistic hell hole that we all lived in.

But not that day. That day I barely took any notice of it, of anything. When Alby woke me with a soft smile, gazing down at me as he reminded me that I needed to go out into the maze again today- as always- I didn't feel that sudden burst of energy and happiness that today might be the day that we finally find a way out of this shuck place.

No.

Instead I felt empty and weak. Like someone had drained my entire body of every drop of blood.

I tried to put on a smile as I dragged my body out of my bed and down to the kitchens where Frypan was cooking bacon and eggs for the Runners. Normally I would have loved him setting a special meal up for us out of the blue, but that day I barely touched the food and ended up feeding it to the dog instead.

Nobody noticed.

I thanked my good luck.

That day my partner was taking work off, too busy spewing like a volcano. I was glad of the time to myself and it meant I could walk around the Maze alone, not knowing which turns I was taking or what danger might be around the corner.

I didn't care. About any of it. I just wanted to leave the god forsaken Maze. To be done with it all. I wanted to go home, just as I did when I was a Greenie. Eventually, after around an hour of wandering through hallways and twists and turns, I decided that I would try to find my way back to the Glade, tell Alby I hurt my ankle and hang out in the Deadheads for the rest of the day. I craved silence. An escape. Anything.

The walls of the Maze had never seemed taller before and, once more, I was beginning to feel claustrophobic trapped inside the large grey barriers to the outside world. To home.

Feeling numb and distraught I stumbled all the way back to the wide field that I had managed to spend all of the life I could remember in. As soon as I waddled through the enormous doors I fled to the forest, desperately seeking time alone to think.

I didn't know what had snapped in me that day, all I knew was that, much like the first day I had arrived in the Glade, I needed to leave.

To get away from everything.

Even Minho.

Even Alby.

So, as the light had begun to fall on the peaceful, oblivious community, I snuck out into the Maze once again, this time only turning right once at the very end of the corridor. I was in the same place that Alby had found me on my first day. I almost smiled grimly at how sick and twisted it was that my brain had instinctively brought me to that place, as though it was trying to torture me.

It took me around half an hour to scale the wall, gripping all the vines I could and hoisting my body up, clinging on as to not fall.

_Yet._ I thought to myself and almost shuddered at how heartless I felt. How emotionless I had become. Dead.

Once I reached the top, I felt the soft chorus of the wind in my ear and it reminded me of Alby whispering for me to wake up, or when he'd hold me when I had panic attacks and tell me everything would be fine. I hated how it made me feel and so I ignored it, blocked it out my brain.

When I looked around I could only see maze, left, right and ahead. For miles and miles, just grey stone with gaps that led to absolutely nothing. There was no exit. We were trapped here forever.

And that's when I dropped. I made me knees buckle underneath me and leaned forward, closing my eyes to make it pass quicker. I imagined a small prick of pain and then darkness but it couldn't have been far from the truth. Of course, being the twat I was, I managed to get tangled up in the vines that hung all over the place and landed on my leg in such a way that it snapped audibly.

An explosion shot through my leg and ran up from my shin to my thigh, consuming my entire body and forcing a loud, peircing scream to erupt from my lungs with such a volume that I didn't doubt every Glader could hear it.

_You shucking slinthead. Of course you managed to fuck it up._ I managed to think, despite the excruciating pain that was making my head spin and bile emerge in my gullet. A faint feeling washed over me and the last thing I remember from that day is a large boy sprinting towards my broken body.

Alby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, my fanfic isn't really how it was in the books or movies but this was just my interpretation of Newt's life in the Glade y'know? Thanks for reading by the way! :) <3


	3. New Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every month the box sends up a new arrival and Newt has had lots of time to get accustomed to life in the Glade and doesn't think anything of the latest Greenie. That is, of course, until he sees the boy. He starts to notice how seeing him has sparked something within himself. Something...new.

I stabbed into the soft, dusty earth and scooped up the dirt before tossing it to the side into a pile that was started to rise slightly. Once I had made a few good sized pits, I placed a potato in the ground every half meter or so and covered them over in the old earth again. Sweat beaded on my forehead and I reached up with my arm and wiped the salty liquid off of my face, smearing a bit of mud on it but not being bothered to rub it off. The exhaustion of having worked for around half of the day already finally seized me and I was about to go grab a drink when the alarms began blaring out and echoing throughout the entirety of the Glade. I noticed almost everyone around me turn towards the space where the box was and most began running whilst Zart and a few of the Keepers- including myself- stayed back, used to this experience by now.

However, curiosity got the best of me, and the others it turns out, as I set off at quite a fast pace considering my limp. The alarm was still blasting and my head was beginning to ache, as usual, and I wished that they would just ring once then stop but, obviously, they didn't care what we wished and kept ringing anyway. By the time I had made it over to the box the alarms had stopped and I thanked every deity ever that my ears could have a rest from that dreadful noise.

The crowd parted slightly as I made my way through them, as they did with the rest of the Keepers. Soon, we all were stood, looming over the now-visible cage that hung around two feet in the ground, holding a very confused, pale-faced boy. He was wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt and khaki jeans that seemed to be a size too big in length. The blue shirt boy had dark brown hair and deep brown eyes that were like pools of chocolate- now a distant blur of what would have been a memory. The boy was..handsome. I had to admit it. He looked quite tall but had no facial hair so he must've been my age, maybe a bit younger. I glanced up at Minho and he smirked, obviously thinking the same as me. The boy was fit.

I snapped out of my stupor and we all watched in silence as Gally dropped down into the box and covered the Greenie in shadows.

"Day one, Greenie." Gally muttered to him, just loud enough that we wouldn't have been able to catch what he was saying, had we been talking, "Rise and shine."

The Keeper then proceeded to hoist the dazed boy onto his feet and haul him up towards the hands that were reaching down to pick him up and drag him out onto the grass that we all stood on. The Gladers by him made room so that he could stand up and brush himself off. It was only when he was stood that I noticed how in shape he was and how his shirt clung to his abs from the cold sweat that I remembered experiencing when I was in the box. I gulped. The boy looked around, taking in everything around him, a petrified and bewildered by the strangers around him. Something clicked in his eyes as he noticed the walls and the doors and I noticed this, reminding me of myself just as I was about to-

_Oh no. Not good._ I thought, glancing at Minho and Alby to try and signal them to calm him down, but they were too busy watching him and observing him to notice. _For shuck's sake..._

Before I could step forward, the new kid took off at a fast run- a very fast run- towards..well...I didn't quite know _where_ he was going but, with everything that must have been going through his head at that time, he probably didn't either. I considered chasing him but remembered my leg and decided against it.

"We got a runner!" Howled Zart, causing a slight hint of spite for him and all the other Gladers cheering to erupt in the pit of my stomach. I smothered it like a candle, nearly audibly scoffing at my own peculiar thought process. More Gladers began to cheer as the poor boy tripped and tumbled on his own foot.

Just as I was starting to worry about whether he had knocked himself out on a rock, he got back up again and once again swizzled round to digest everything happening all at once. I thought he might have started running again but he just stood there, looking at everything, and I could practically hear him thinking and wondering and desperately trying to remember something, anything, about himself. Then I could hear his brain sigh in exhaustion and disappointment as he came up with nothing. Pity swarmed me like a buzzing beehive and I wanted the boy to be able to have a moment of peace from all the laughing and exaggerated jeers. 

"A'ight everyone, back to work!" I called over the noise and, almost instantly, everybody began returning to their duties. I turned back, planning on heading over to the newbie and introducing myself and, finally, finding out his name, but Alby had got to him first and I almost screamed in utter annoyance. I had no idea why- this was exactly what happened all the time when Greenies come up in the box. But...I somehow felt a responsibility towards him, knowing how lonely he would be feeling. A certain protectiveness that made me want to shield him from the harm in the Glade. I didn't know how but I recognized him. His face was familiar and comforting. Like a warm fire inside when it's raining and cold outside. 

"You okay, bud?" 

Zart.

My eyes shot away from the new boy and I squinted as the sun caught my eyes and burned them a bit, making them water. I ran a hand through my hair to play it extra cool. 

_Nice one, ya shuckface._

"Yeah, no, yeah I'm fine. Just a little thirsty is all. Might need to take a short break for this stupid leg as well." I shook my broken leg for emphasis. 

Understanding flickered on Zart's face and he smiled softly, only nodding to show permission.

"Just don't take too long, slinthead." He threw a wink in my direction and I smiled back as he began jogging away. 

I breathed in relief and noticed that I was feeling quite parched. I did need water. So, instead of standing out there all day, I decided that I would go to Frypan and grab some of this new juice he made for me that might help with any pain I got from my leg. Of course, I didn't experience any pain anymore but he insisted that I drink it anyway as it would still "keep me healthy". As I limped over towards the small shelter in which Frypan cooked, my thoughts were only of one thing. 

That new boy.


End file.
